Illuminating sign



July 28, 1931. H. ADELMANN ILLUMINAT ING SIGN Filed Sept. 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l fi l y 28, 1931- H. 'ADELMANN ILLUMINATING SIGN Fil ed Sept.

28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 is illustrated here as box-like in character Patented July 28, 1931 PATENT OFFICE HANS ADEIiMANN, OF .NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK IIQLUMINATING sIGN Application filed September 28, 1929. Serial No. 395,797.

My present inventionrelates to a sign and more particularly to that character of a sign in which the advertising indicia or designations are fixed, the source of and the effect thereupon of illumination from a source continuously changed in accordance with a predetermined scheme.

One of the objects of my invention 'isthe provision of a sign which will have an attraction forthe passerby, to a degree not hitherto attainable.

For the attainment of this object and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention inthe accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 showsa sign in position on the wall;

Figure '2 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a View of a fragment of the a front of the sign;

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view showing part of the operating mechanism. 7

Upon viewing Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be observed that the sign of Figure 1 having opposite walls .10 and 11. Each of these walls is preferably in the form of a metallic member with designations formed therein as shown in Figure 1. These designations are formed therein by cutting out circular openings 15 which define in the illustrated embodiment three rows of letters, the first in the instant case giving the name of the establishment and the second and third referring to commodities dispensed be more fully set forth.

position, size and number to the openings 15 in the front, plate; The rear ends 23 of the crystals are generally flat and are roughened as shown at 24' so as to produce an irregular diffusion of the light from the source as will The illumination may be supplied from any preferred or desired source and in the disclosed embodiment is'in the form of a plurality of electric bulbs 25 depending downwardly and extending upwardly from platforms 26 and 27, the power of the bulbs,

such as to give that illumination whichis most eiiicient and economical for the purposes intended in accordance with the in ,vention herein disclosed. V

The construction thus far disclosed, I. have found will give to the sign an illuminated characteristic which is highly attractive Mounted upon the platform 30 is an electric motor 31 which drives the shaft 'through the pulleys 33 and belt 34. The

shaft 35 extends across the full width of the sign as shown in Figure 2. This shaft is supported in the side walls and *by the central bracket 36. Carried by the shaft 35 adjacent the opposite ends are the worms 37 and 38in mesh with the gears 39 and 40 and fixed to the gears are the cranks 41. Each of these cranks 41 is of the double-crank type with one crank arm 43 extending in one direction and downwardly and the other crank arm 44 extending in. the opposite direction and upwardly; V i v Carried by the twocrankarms 43 to one side of the main shaft and adjacent to the wall 10 is a mask which will be shortly more fully described. A similar mask 51 is carried by the crank arm 44 adjacent t the opposite front 11. One of these masks is shown in Figure 1 of the drawing and is of dimensions and of a shape so as to entirely cover all three lines of designations and in View of the fact that in the embodiment herein illustrated the designations decrease in their number and their distribution being Width from top to bottom, the mask correspondingly decreases in width. The mask in its entirety is made either wholly or partly transparent or translucent so that light from the source can be transmitted therethrough to illuminate the designations.

In order to give to each line a light treatment different from the other lines, each mask is made up of an upper section 52 corresponding to the upper designation, the lower section 53 corresponding to the lower line designation and an intermediate section 54 corresponding to the intermediate designation.

The upper section may be made of any translucent or transparent material and is shown as provided with a number of perforations 56, through which the light can pass freely. The intermediate section 54 is made up of a series of partly transparent or translucent sections 57, each differently colored.

The lower section 53, is preferably shown as made in the form of a color translucency perforated at 58 to give a sparkling and scintillating effect.

As the main shaft is rotated, the masks are given a back and forth and up and down movement and due to the combination of the effects of the colored transparent sections and the perforations through which the light is transmitted, the designations, while stationary and fixed in character are given a constantly changing illuminated effect in which the color changes move along the sign from point to point as do the sparkling effects due to the openings.

The masks and 51 are guided in their movements by the engagement of the loops with the flanges 66 and are guided at their lower ends by the channels formed between the members 67 and 68.

It will be understood that as the motor is placed in operation, the masks will be given a limited back and forth as well as up and down movement so that the light transmitted to different portions thereof will differentially affect different portions of the designations to be illuminated. For example, a red colored portion of the intermediate mask will color red the light transmitted therethrough and this color beam will shift in a more or less oval path. This will also be true of the other portions and of the openings so that a constantly changing illuminated effect is pro duced upon the sign.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. An illuminated sign comprising a substantially opaque wall having relatively small openings therein arranged in predetermined groups to define desired indicia, a source of light behind said wall, a transparent member in each of said openings having a bulbous portion projecting outwardly through said opening and a substantially flat roughened rear surface adapted to diffuse the light passing through said member, a reciprocable mask between said light source and said wall, and means for reciprocating said mask.

2. An illuminated sign comprising a substantially opaque wall having relatively small openings therein arranged in predetermined groups to define desired indicia, a source of light behind said wall, a transparent member in each of said openings having a bulbous portion projecting outwardly through said opening and a substantially flat roughened rear surface adapted to diffuse the light passing through said member, a reciprocable mask between said light source and said wall, and means for reciprocating said mask, said mask having haphazardly-arranged perforations therethrough.

3. An illuminated sign comprising a sub stantially opaque wall having relatively small openings therein arranged in predetermined groups to define desired indicia, a

source of light behind said wall, a transparent member in each of said openings having a bulbous portion projecting outwardly through said opening and a substantially flat roughened rear surface adapted to diffuse 

